They've all new legs and lame ones; one would take it, That never saw them pace before, the spavin SPAWL, v. n. & n. s. Į Saxon rparlian, to SPAWL'ING, n. s. spit. To throw moisture out of the mouth: the noun substantive corresponding. Disused. He who does on ivory tables dine, Dryden. Id. Of spittle she lustration makes; Then in the spawl her middle finger dips, Anoints the temple, forehead, and the lips. What mischief can the dean have done him, That Traulus calls for vengeance on him? Why must he sputter, spaul, and slaver it, In vain, against the people's fav'rite? Swift. SPAWN, n. s., v. a., I Sax. гpeoɲan; Belg. SPAWNER. [& v. n. spene, spenne. The eggs of fish or frogs; any produce: to produce; generate: issue; proceed: the spawner is the female fish. The SPAWNING OF FISH is the act of depositing the raw or oviparous matter of the female and of its being impregnated with that of the male. Most sorts of river-fish, and many of those of the sea kind, produce their young in this way. But the impregnation is accomplished in different manners as to the mode of its deposition, according to the nature and habits of the fish. In those fishes which spawn in the more still and shallow waters during the spring and summer seasons, such as the pike, bream, carp, perch, and some other kinds, it would seem to be most commonly the habit to deposit their spawny material on the leaves and vegetables which lie just below the surface of the water: while in those fishes which cast their spawn in the winter season, such as the salmon, trout, herring, and many other sorts, spots and places very near the sources or beginnings of rivers and streams, or the more rapid fresh-water currents, are mostly sought for and fixed upon in this intention, where there is a constant flow of freshwater, where all stagnation is prevented, and where the water is the most fully aerated, either in its natural situation or during its fall in rain. A proper and suitable degree of warmth may also be necessary in this business. In all other cases the fishes probably deposit their spawny oviparous matters in such situations as are the most suitable to their particular economies, and where there is the necessary heat, as well as where the water is the most fully saturated and impregnated with air, as it is now well ascertained that their impregnated spawny oviparous matters do not produce young ones, any more than seeds vegetate, except where they are freely supplied with air. The fish in the egg, or spawn, derives its oxygen from the air which is dissolved in the water that surrounds it, which, in the first of the above cases, is much supplied by the leaves of the plants on which it is deposited: and in the latter case it is gained from the perpetual flowings of such fresh and fully aerated waters over it, after it has been the most conveniently and effectually impregnated in such shallow parts, `currents, and streamlets. It is stated, in speaking of the herring, by the writer of a paper in the third volume of the Transactions of the Highland Society of Scotland, that a very singular notion had been held with regard to the impregnation of the ova or eggs of fish, and which is not by any means the doctrine or hypothesis of yesterday, but which has prevailed, in a greater or less degree, for upwards of 2000 years; that is, from the days of Herodotus, who, in treating and speaking of the fish in the Nile, makes the following observation:-At the season of spawning they move in vast multitudes towards the sea, the males lead the way, and emit the engenderabsorb as they follow, and in consequence coning principle in their passage; this the females ceive, and when their ova are deposited they are consequently matured into fry.'-Beloe's Herod. And, absurd as this supposition and process seem to be, it is asserted, it is said, to be the case by Linnæus, the most learned of all others in the science of animal history: he tenaciously affirms, it is maintained, that there can be no impregnation of the eggs of any animal out of the body, and that as fish have no organs of generation, that deficiency is made up by adopting the system or notion of Herodotus. This unfounded notion has likewise, it is added, been supported by Kalm, the friend and countryman of the above celebrated naturalist. At one of the sittings of the National Institute in France, in the year 1799, a memoir was read by the member of instruction at Rouen, on the means and advantages of naturalising the herring, a salt-water fish, in the water of the Seine, near its mouth, &c.; in which, after noticing the various means by which this may be accomplished, it is observed that herrings having been found ascending from the sea into one river of the American province, while a single individual was never seen in another, separated from the other by a narrow tongue of land, and which also communicated with the sea, a philosopher (Dr. Franklin), took the leaves off some plants on which the herrings had deposited their ova, already fecundated, and conveyed them to the river which was deprived of the annual visit of these fish. The success of the experiment surpassed his expectation, the ova was completely productive, and the following year the river was peopled with a numerous shoal of herrings, which, since that time, continued to frequent it.' Phil. Mag. vol. x. p. 163. This theory is supposed, by the above writer, to be more rational and not entirely against established facts; though it should be considered, he conceives, that the European herring is not a native of fresh water, and, as he thinks, never will be naturalised in such waters; but that the spawn of fishes, being fecundated in their own waters, may be transported; and when placed in the same homogeneal element upon leaves, sand, or other matters, where the sun and air, as we have seen above, can have free access, or a proper heat, with oxygen air, as has been shown already, received, such ova, raw, or eggs, will be animated and become fry in the same time they would have done in their parent beds, cannot be doubted. This is a practice, it is said, which is well known in China; the missionaries to which have noticed two or three things about it which are singular enough; the first of which is, that in the great river Yangtsee Kyang, not far from the city Kyus-king-fu, in the province of Kyang-si, a prodigious number of barks meet every year to buy the spawn of fishes. About May the people of the country dam up the river for nine or ten leagues together, in several places, with mats and hurdles, leaving only room enough for barks to pass, in order to stop the spawn, which they know how to distinguish at first sight, though the water is scarcely altered; with this water mixed with the spawn they fill several vessels to sell to the merchants, who, at this season, arrive in great numbers to buy and transport it into divers provinces, taking care to have it stirred up from time to time this water is sold by measure to such as have fish-ponds and pools belonging to their houses. The manner of propagating the gold-fish from spawn is likewise deserving of attentive consideration. It is supposed by the writer of the above paper that herrings, which cast their spawn in the winter months, without doubt deposit it on our shores; but whether upon gravel, sand, stones, fuci, or other plants, is not well ascertained; but thus far we know, it is said, that it cannot be in deep water, unless we suppose it to have such a buoyancy as to be within reach of the sun's genial influence, and, as has been since shown, that of the free action of the air. It is believed, and the same writer thinks with reason, that it is impregnated by the male after it is emitted by the spawner or spawning-fish. The raw spawn, or eggs, of these fish become animated, it is said, in the month of April. It is noticed, that the fucus palmatus, and, indeed, all the numerous VOL. XX. species of fuci which grow upon our coasts, it is hardly to be doubted, harbour the spawn of fishes; but that the opinion may readily be either confirmed or confuted by the assistance of a glass of moderate magnifying power. It is also suggested that the cause or reason of the herring's quitting the deep seas is unquestionably that of its casting its spawn in its native water, as the banks and mouths of the rivers where it was produced. And the same is the case with the salmon, the shad, the pilchard, and some others; all of which prefer their natal waters for the purpose of spawning in; and, though the herring and pilchard sometimes deviate from this course, the salmon and shad do it very seldom, being more sober and steady in their attachment to their parent haunts. The heaviest salmon are met with in the large rivers, and the largest herrings in the deep waters, each coast and river producing fish which are different in taste, size, and appearance, as is remarkably seen in the shads and salmons of different rivers and the herrings of different situations. The fry of the herring, as well as of the salmon, when they have attained sufficient size and strength, quit the shallows and make for the deeps: when the shoals of the former enter the bays, and other similar places, the young ones are noticed to take their final departure from them. The SPAWNING OR LAYING OF OYSTER-BEDS in the mouths of the breeding-rivers has been thus described :-The principal rivers in the county of Essex, where this sort of work, or that of breeding oysters, is carried on, according to the Corrected Agricultural Report of that district, are those of the Crouch, the Blackwater, and the Coln; but the first is by far the most certain in produce of any of them. The beds, or layings, are made in the creeks, and other similar places, on the sides or parts which adjoin the mouths, openings, or beginnings of these rivers. It is from these rivers that the oyster-layings, or beds, are usually stocked; though some are constantly supplied from Portsmouth, or places in its neighbourhood, being brought in the largest sort of oyster-vessels, not only into this county, but Kent, where they are laid for the ensuing season. The Colchester oyster-beds are chiefly at Wivenhoe, being partly supplied by the Kentish oyster-smacks. The beds, or layings, in these different situations, are likewise, in all probability, supplied or furnished with oysters from several other places on the southern coast of this country, as well as the northern one of France. The breed. ing-rivers in the county of Essex are said to be very uncertain as to the quantity of oysters they produce; as in some seasons they afford a great quantity, while, at other times, they only produce what is called a good sprinkling, and sometimes there is none at all. But they seldom all produce or fail, it is observed, in the same season. The oyster-fisheries are of very great importance to the country as well as to particular counties and districts, especially that of Essex; as they employ great numbers of small vessels, require the labor of many men, and afford considerable profit in the produce of food which they supply, as being principally an article of luxury. In the county just mentioned there are 3 B : several of these oyster-fisheries. In the Blackwater river, and neighbouring parts, there is a considerable fishery of this nature; and West Mersea is one of the principal stations of the dredgers above thirty boats, it is said, belong to the island, and are almost constantly at work in this business. Vessels come from Kent to purchase the oysters, and they sell some to Wivenhoe, where what are called the Colchester beds are situated. They are sold by the tub of two bushels, and are generally from 4s. to 6s. a tub; but at present (1807) 6s. A dredgingboat is from fourteen to thirty or forty tons burden all are decked and built at Wivenhoe, Brightlingsea, and places thereabouts. The price is £10 a ton for the hull of the vessel only; the fitting out of one of twenty tons requiring the amount of £150. From two to four men are required for each vessel, who are paid by shares ; and the master has a share for the vessel. In the spring season they go to dredge on the coasts of Hants and Dorset. Sometimes 130 vessels have been counted at work within sight of Mersea. This oyster-fishery is, it is said, an object of considerable consequence to the country, from the earnings being great, and some other circumstances but when the men die, their families, it is said, come to the parish, greatly increased by the number of apprentices which they have taken. Nothing, however, the writer of the report thinks, can be so preposterous as a police of the poor, which permits the benefits of commerce and manufactures to load the land with rates to the amount of 8s. in the pound, when a very small contribution by a box-club, or benefit society, would readily prevent the evil. The following account of the oyster-business in the same district is from Mr. Bennet Hawes of Mersea, given as from his own local knowledge of the places where it is carried on, in the above report. The number of vessels which are employed in it, of from eight to forty or fifty tons, is nearly 200, in which are employed from 400 to 500 men and boys. A vessel carrying three men has one share and a half of all the earnings, and the men one share each. Large vessels have generally, it is said, two shares; but none, it is believed, more than this. It is said that the vessels which are built at East Donyland, Wivenhoe, Brightlingsea, Burnham, and Mersea, for this business, will last from thirty to forty years, when proper care is taken of them. The writer was informed by a person then living at Wivenhoe, that he had, within the last twenty years, built 100 vessels for the oyster business alone. There has been an increase of boats, and of course of men, of more than one half within the last thirty years. At Burnham they have seven dredging smacks, belonging to the company that hire the river of Sir Henry Mildmay, besides four other private ones and some smaller vessels. The smacks are from eighteen to twenty tons. And there are only about 100 fishermen and sailors about the place, which are much too few, it is thought, for so fine a river. Most of the vessels of sixteen tons and upwards go, it is said, to Portsmouth, or places adjacent, in the month of March, to catch and carry oysters; those under twenty five tons being employed in catching them, and the larger ones in carrying them into this county and Kent, to be used as noticed above; they generally return thence in the month of June, when the large ones go after mackarel, herrings, and sprats, during the latter part of the summer, and, in the ensuing winter, the smaller ones to the catching of oysters in the breeding rivers, as above. The oysters are sold to London, Hamburgh, Bremen, and, in time of peace, to Holland, France, and Flanders. The quantity consumed in a season is scarcely to be calculated; but it is supposed that it cannot be less than 12,000 or 15,000 bushels. This fishery is so much blended with the others, that it is almost impossible to state the capital which is employed in it, but it is supposed to be from £60,000 to £80,000. Lat, spado. To castrate female SPAY, v.a. animals. SPAYING, or SPADING, in rural economy, the operation of castrating the females of several kinds of animals, as sows, &c., to prevent any further conception, and promote their fattening. It is performed by cutting them in the mid-flank, on the left side, with a sharp knife or lancet, in order to extirpate or cut off the parts destined to conception, and then stitching up the wound, anointing the part with tar-salve, and keeping the animal warm for two or three days. The general way is to make the incision in a sloping manner, two inches and a half long, that the forefinger may be put in towards the back, to feel for the ovaries, which are two kernels as big as acorns, one on each side of the uterus, one of which being drawn to the wound, the cord or string is cut, and thus both taken out. In the Annals of Agriculture Mr. Foot has suggested the practice of spaying old cows and heifers; as it is a method, he apprehends, that might be performed with safety, and prove of general use in grazing; as cows, when they grow old and fail in their milk, are often attended with difficulty, where the bull goes at large, to keep them from him, especially on commons, during the summer, which put him on trying the experiment on a cow of small value, whose profit for the pail was so far over that she would not milk for about three months before she became dry. After she had calved about a month, he had her cut; the operator was an ingenious person, and performed the business well, that with a little care of keeping her from the cold (being early in the spring) for about a fortnight he thought her out of danger; and continued milking her as usual all the time. She soon began to thrive, gaining flesh, and before the summer was over, by the time she was quite dry, was much improved, though kept no better than the other part of the dairy on very middling pasturage. At Michaelmas, had she been put to turnips, or good rouen, she would have been fat by Christmas, or soon after. When killed, she sold at 3s. 6d. a stone, about half fat at that time, which he laid at 1s. a stone more than she would have done had she not been cut. And afterwards he had two others cut, that continued to be milked, and grazed well; one he had killed, the other he sold alive, which improved and paid beyond expectation. And, though little has yet been done in this way, he is persuaded it will be found of general utility if attended to. But, however, lately he accidentally met the person that performed the operation, who informed him that he had been sent for within twelve months, or thereabouts, to cut nearly forty in like manner, which having all done well, none failed; that there appears little or no danger in the case; and he believes it may be found of great advantage to the grazier and farmer, if they are inclined to practise it, as well as to the public at large. In confirmation of the above, the persons who have tried the experiment are, he is informed, William Colhoun, esq., Norfolk, who has cut eight; Mr. Martin, Exning, Suffolk, who has cut six; Mr. Cayson, Chippenham, who has had the operation performed on twenty; and Mr. Robinson, Eriswell, who has performed it on four or six. We may further add that most of these were young heifers between two and three years old (some old cows), that had not taken bull; young stock appears to thrive apace, and grow in size, as well as to be likely to answer for the butcher soon; they may be fattened with turnips in the winter, or kept on another summer as the grazier pleases. And in Yorkshire it is very common to fatten their heifers at three years old, which answer as great a purpose for grazing, and are more profitable than older steers or heifers, &c., but those are kept from the bull. the SPEAK, v.n. & v. a. Sax. rpecan, гpreSPEAKABLE, adj can; Gothic spuca; SPEAKER, N. S. Teut. sprechan. Το utter articulate sounds; discourse; harangue; make mention; give sound: to pronounce; address; proclaim: speakable is possible to be spoken; having the power of speech: speaker, he who speaks or celebrates. Thei idel lernen to go aboute housis, not only idil but ful of wordis and curious spekynge thingis that bihoueth not. Wiclif. 1 Tim. 5. Lot went out, and spake unto his sons-in-law. Gen. xix. 14. Consider of it, take advice, and speak your minds. Judges. Hannah spake in her heart, only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard. 1 Sam. i. 13. They sat down with him upon the ground, and Job ii. 13. none spake a word. When divers were hardened, and believed not, but spake evil of that way before the multitude, he departed. Acts xix. 9. You from my youth Have known and tried me, speak I more than truth? Sandys. Nicholas was by a herald sent for to come into the great bassa; Solyman disdaining to speak with him himself. Knolles. A knave should have some countenance at his friend's request. An honest man, Sir, is able to speak for himself, when a knave is not. Shakspeare. Henry IV. When he had no power, He was your enemy; still spake against Id. Antony and Cleopatra. lost in the generality of speakers. Bacon's Henry VII The fire you speak of, Ben Jonson. The Scripture speaks only of those to whom it Hammond. speaks. Many of the nobility made themselves popular by speaking in parliament against those things which were most grateful to his majesty, and which still passed, notwithstanding their contradiction. Clarendon. How cam'st thou speakable of mute? What you keep by you, you may change and mend, But words once spoke can never be recalled. Waller. They could never be lost but by an universal deluge, which has been spoken to already. Tillotson. Speaking is nothing else than a sensible expression of the notions of the mind, by several discriminations of utterance of voice, used as signs, having by consent several determinate significancies. Holder. Thersites, though the most presumptuous Greek, Yet durst not for Achilles' armour speak. Dryden. I have disabled myself, like an elected speaker of the house. Ite That with one blast through the whole house does bound, And first taught speaking trumpet how to sound. Id. He no where speaks it out, or in direct terms calls them substances. Locke. Colours speak all languages, but words are underSpectator. stood only by such a people or nation. Lucan speaks of a part of Cæsar's army, that came to him from the Leman-lake, in the beginning of the civil war. Addison. Horace's phrase is, 'torret jecur;' And happy was that curious speaker. Prior. Had Luther spoke up to this accusation, yet Chrysostom's example would have been his defence. Atterbury. Common speakers have only one set of ideas, and one set of words to clothe them in; and these are Swift. always ready at the mouth. In conversation or reading, find out the true sense or idea which the speaker or writer affixes to his words. Watts's Logick. To me they speak of brighter daysBut lull the chords; for now, alas! SPEAR-GRASS. See ASPARAGUS. SPEAR-WORT is a species of ranunculus. SPECHIA, an ancient name of Cyprus. SPECIA, an island in the Grecian Archipelago. Long. 41° 12' E. Ferro, lat. 37° 11′ N. SPECIA. See SPEZZA. SPECIAL, adj. SPECIALLY, adv. SPECIALTY, or Fr. special; Latin specialis, species. Noting a species or sort; SPECIALITY, n. s. particular; peculiar; SPECIES, appropriate; extraorSPECIFIC, adj. & n. s. dinary: the adverb SPECIFICAL, adj. and noun substantive SPECIFICALLY, adv. following correspondSPECIFICATE, v. a. ing: species is a sort SPECIFICATION, n. s. or subdivision of a SPECIFY, V. a. J general term; a particular kind or thing: hence a representation to the mind; show; circulating medium: specific and specifical mean constituting a species: specific is also an appropriate medicine; an occult medicine: the adverb agrees with the adjective: to specificate is to mark by noting the distinguishing peculiarities: the noun substantive corresponding to specify, to mention; note particularly. Specially the day that thou stoodest before the Lord. Deut. A brother beloved, specially to me. Phil. xvi. Most commonly with a certain special grace of her own, wagging her lips, and grinning instead of smiling. Sidney. The several books of scripture having had each some several occasion and particular purpose which caused them to be written, the contents thereof are according to the exigence of that special end whereunto they are intended. Id. On these two general heads all other specialities are dependent. Id. As the change of such laws as have been specified is necessary, so the evidence that they are such must be great. Nought so vile that on the earth doth live, But to the earth some special good doth give. The king hath drawn The special head of all the land together. Hooker. Shakspeare. Id. Henry IV. |